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'Social Exclusion' Discourse and Chronic Poverty: A South African Case Study

Author: A Du Toit
Date: 2004
Size: 25 pages (280 KB)

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Summary

The concept of social exclusion has become increasingly dominant in European and UK debates about poverty. This article, published in the journal 'Development and Change', questions the export of ‘social exclusion’ discourse to the field of development and poverty studies. It considers the results of research into chronic poverty in the Ceres district of South Africa. It argues that the concept of social exclusion often fails to capture how poverty can be exacerbated by the production and accumulation of wealth. The notion of ‘adverse incorporation’ better contributes to the understanding of poverty in developing societies.

The concept of social exclusion was first used to refer to pockets of poverty in Northern welfare societies. By the end of the 1990s, it was being used to understand poverty in the developing world. Social exclusion discourse helps focus on the multi-dimensional nature of poverty's implications and the complex connections between poverty, power and agency. However, social exclusion is often narrowly understood as a direct cause of poverty.

The Western Cape district of Ceres is an area of abundant natural resources and commercial activity. The persistence and modernisation of poverty there is complex. Four themes are crucial:

• The paternalist legacy of slavery and colonialism. This has led to the development and persistence of paternalist, patriarchal, racialised and hierarchical institutions and practices.
• The process of modernising policy and legal reform since the 1990s. This has led to the dismantling of the regulatory framework in the agricultural sector and the strengthening of social and labour rights.
• Globalisation and the restructuring of international agro-food. This led to higher barriers to entry, more competition and greater risk.
• Labour market restructuring. Many restructured their businesses to reduce their exposure to the risks and costs of employing permanent labour.

The concept of social exclusion is vague and ideological. The uncritical adoption of social exclusion discourse can result in harmful and counterproductive policy making.

• Social exclusion discourse is shaped by the assumption that development depends on processes of modernising reform, job creation and global integration. It cannot be assumed that integration, incorporation and inclusion are the solutions to chronic poverty. Poverty can often be the result, not of exclusion, but of the terms upon which people are included.
• Social exclusion discourse distracts attention from systemic dynamics of inequality, impoverishment and conflict within institutions, networks and systems. It only problematises the processes by which people are excluded.
• Poverty and under-employment in much of South Africa are the outcome of, amongst other things, closer integration into global economic systems and regulatory networks. Poverty can result from the terms and conditions of inclusion, not exclusion.
• Incorporation and integration are not necessarily empowering. Exclusion and separation can be valid strategies for the poor. Policies should engage with, challenge and enlarge the space for poor people's agency.
• The concept of adverse incorporation emphasises the multidimensional nature of poverty and the importance of social process. It also sees poverty and inequality as regular and unexceptional by-products of processes of accumulation and social differentiation that accompany economic growth.

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Source: Du Toit, A. 2004 '‘Social Exclusion’ Discourse and Chronic Poverty: A South African Case Study' Development and Change, vol. 35, no. 5, pp. 987–1010
Author: Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies, University of the Western Cape, http://www.plaas.org.za/